Amelogenesis imperfecta with enamel opacities and taurodontism: an alternative diagnosis for 'idiopathic dental fluorosis'.

A retrospective study of 32 children (mean age 10.3 years) attending the Children's Department, Eastman Dental Hospital with enamel opacities resembling dental fluorosis in the majority showed that these changes were probably genetically determined and had a close association with taurodontism of permanent molar teeth. It seems likely that these enamel defects should be classified as hypomaturation types of amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) conveyed by mutant auto-somal genes. The clinical expression (phenotype) of these mutant genes has a greater heterogeneity than previously described.